All denim is either sanforized (pre-shrunk) or unsanforized (in its raw cotton state). Soaking either
type, if you choose to do it, has its benefits and can be an important
step to undertake when starting a new pair of jeans.

How to soak your raw denim

The main reason to soak
sanforized denim before wearing it is to
remove some of the wax and starch in the finish of the denim. To soak your raw denim:

Fill a tub with water (cold water for sanforized, hot for unsanforized)

Turn your jeans
inside out and fully submerge your jeans in the water. If parts of your denim float to the surface,
put some weight over it.

Let your denim
soak for one to two hours. The water might
look kind of murky afterwards but don’t worry, your denim is fine.

Take your denim
out of the tub and squeeze the excess water out

Air-dry your
denim. The denim will still be rigid,
but will break in quicker now that the starch has been removed.

Another rationale for soaking
sanforized denim is to “set” the indigo dye to reduce
crocking. This is
accomplished by filling a tub with cold water, one cup of white vinegar, one
cup of sea salt and soaking the sunken jeans for one hour. Rinse in cold water
and air dry.

The principal reason to soak
unsanforized denim is to shrink-to-fit
the fabric. Since the cotton is in its raw state, jeans made from unsanforized
denim can shrink 1-2 waist sizes and 2-3 inches in length. The process is the
same as above except for unsanforized denim, hot water is preferable
(40°C/140°F).

In both cases, it is very
important to keep the jeans out of the dryer and to air dry only.

Here's a handy infographic you can keep for yourself the next time you want to soak your own raw denim:

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About Tellason

We believe style comes through best on people that don’t work at it. Growing up in California, skateboarding and listening to punk music, we’re inspired by the mindset prevalent in those circles in that era. With that in mind, we focus our attention on high-quality basics, devoid of frills and embellishments. Get dressed and move on.